AECOM to build Istanbul New Airport

Friday, 11 September 2015 08:34

AECOM will design airside work, runways, navigational aids and ground lighting, among others. (Image source: GzdeOtman/sxc.hu)Infrastructure services company AECOM has been contracted to design an airport at Istanbul, expected to be have an annual passenger capacity of 150mn, which will be the largest in the world

According to the contract, AECOM will design the airside work including three initial runways, taxiways, apron, associated drainage systems, airfield ground lighting and navigational aids. Deltaturk, a Turkish consultancy, will support AECOM as a delivery partner.

AECOM senior vice-president and director of global aviation Bernado Gogna said, “The demand for mega hub airports is growing, with the most successful cities investing in air travel to attract international trade. Straddling the East and West, this ambitious plan will see Istanbul quickly become one of the most connected cities in the world.”

With a fast track programme, AECOM is expected to deliver designs in a year and the airport will open in early 2018. The works are expected to cover an area of 16 sq km, and will be completed by specialist teams in the UK and Turkey.

Once complete, the airport will be the largest in the world, in terms of annual passenger capacity, revealed AECOM officials.

AECOM will be assisted by IGA, a consortium of five major Turkish contractors comprising Cengiz, Mapa, Limak, Kolin and Kalyon. IGA won the concession to build the scheme as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor and will also be the operator, said AECOM officials.

IGA Construction CEO Yusuf Akçayoğlu said, “Istanbul New Airport is an important investment for the future of Turkey, expected to contribute more than US$36bn in addition to VAT to the Turkish economy during construction and in its first 25 years of operation, and create hundreds of thousands of jobs. With flights to more than 350 destinations, the airport will make Istanbul one of the leading global aviation hubs in the world.”

The airport will be Istanbul’s third airport and will have an initial capacity of 90mn passengers per year. It will be located on the European side of the city, 35 kilometres from the centre on a site adjacent to the Black Sea. Subsequent planned phases will expand the airport to include six runways and three terminal buildings. When all phases are complete, the airport will have an annual capacity in excess of 150mn passengers.